From Beginning to End
by Alex Leep
Summary: They may still be teens, but don't call them sidekicks. A series of oneshots about the Team.
1. Kaldur's Pride for the Team

**Kaldur's Pride for the Team**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or any of its characters. If I did, I would let you all know!**

Even though Robin was the logical choice to lead the Team, Aqualad enjoyed his position. Not because their successes brought him praise, but because he could always say that it was his teammates were the ones who were able to help others.

His team. They may have their faults and weaknesses, but when it came down to the moment of truth, there were no other people he would rather have guarding his back.

Robin, even though he was quick to leave you for the cover of dark to tend to something that wasn't what the moment called for, was always there to think ahead and find a way out of a bad situation.

Superboy, aggressive and sullen as he may be, was as constant as the dawning sun when it came to protecting what really mattered in the end.

Miss Martain was as sweet as they came, with an instinct that more than made up for her naive nature.

Kid Flash, with his cocky and brazen attitude was hard to deal with at times, but the speedster had yet to ever run when he was really needed.

Artemis was cold and secretive when it came to her past and family. But behind that cold exterior was a warrior who would defend her teammates and her cause until the end.

Yes, there was yet a time to be found when Aqualad was not proud to call the Team his own. They were a force to be reckoned with. They had stealth, strength, mind power, speed, and tactical knowledge to call their own. Anyone who had gone up against them, even when the foe had been victorious, could not say that the Team was something to be trifled with. Yes, Aqualad was proud of the Team.

But even more than that, Kaldur was proud of his friends.

Robin was never one to judge, preferring to make opinions of people based on what they had proved themselves to be. He was always in the know, which Kaldur supposed came from being the Dark Knight's protégé, but the youngest member never used the knowledge wrongly or immorally, which Kaldur found to be most admirable.

Conner could often be found sulking. Many would assume that this behavior came due to the fact that he didn't care, but the opposite was true. Because of the way the clone had been raised, he didn't know how to express himself. Conner, if you really talked with him, which did not happen often, you would see that he cared more than anyone would think possible about what was happening around him. He was angry often, but then, he had reason to be.

M'gann was as sweet as the cookies she often made. Through all her uncertainty about being on a foreign planet, her positive and sunny disposition made her a joy to be around. But one of the things that made M'gann different from the TV shows she watched was her great compassion for others. It didn't matter if it was a lonely boy who was unsure of his first day of school, or child who needed a blood transfusion. M'gann's first loyalty was to others.

Wally was always one to crack a joke and try to make a situation light hearted. And while the Team often rolled their eyes at his humor, they had begun to rely on it. Without Wally's quips, the atmosphere would get to a point that no one wanted to think about. What they did was hard and dangerous. Sometimes Kaldur thought that Wally understood that better than anyone. Kaldur had been friends with Wally a long time, and he knew that Wally cared more than almost anyone about what they did. His proof? Wally was the one person on the Team who could have run away at any point in time without anyone knowing where he went. Wally had never run away. He was someone who could cross a continent in a matter of hours, but when faced with a challenge, he kept his feet firmly on the ground and stuck by his friends.

Artemis had been the latecomer to the Team. She had had trouble finding her niche with the other members. She had been argumentative, straight forward, and aggressive. But as she slowly began to let her teammates in, they began to see parts of who she was. They didn't know all of her story, but they knew after a while that she came from a place where being defensive and calculating was how one survived. They saw how she had problems trusting, which meant all the more to them when they realized that they trusted her as much as she trusted them. The Team began to see how she had grown comfortable with them. They were small things. The look in her eyes when arguing with Wally. The relaxed posture when she was standing among them all in a small room. Her willingness to do things with them all, just for the sake of doing them. They weren't much, but the big things usually aren't.

Aqualad was proud of the Team. But Kaldur was proud of his friends. They covered the board when it came to backgrounds, powers, pasts, race, and training. They were different. They had different ways of going about how they lived their lives. They had different morals. But in the end, none of that really mattered.

What mattered was that any one of those teenagers would risk their life for one another. Through all their differences, they made one team. Through all of the arguments and training exercises gone wrong, they pulled through it. To the League, they were indispensable. To one another, they were irreplaceable. They were a family, and in the end, that was the only thing that mattered to them.

**Alright! I'm super excited for this, and hope you all like it. I've had so many ideas for Young Justice for the longest time, I just decided to compile them together. But this means that I'll need help. So that means that I'll be taking prompts!**

**I want this to be a collection of oneshots about the Team. (Preferably from the first season, but I have no problem with the second season.) I'm not above doing romance or anything like that, so drop me a line about most anything. Please keep in mind that this will be rated low T, so nothing too graphic please!**

**Thanks so much for reading! I'm excited to get some ideas from you wonderful readers!**

**-Alex**


	2. Call Us Sidekicks

**Call Us Sidekicks**

**Thanks so much to YouCanStandByMe, ElfUnderYourBed, and gingervitis for reviewing. Stay asterous!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, the Justice League, or anything else that DC owns. That would be a level of asterous that I would never be able to stay whelmed about. True story.**

"You're nothing but a bunch of sidekicks! Why should I even pretend to take you seriously, if the League won't do the same for me, sending children to do a man's job." The man in a suit spat out at the seven teenagers tied up before him.

The Team had been assigned by Batman to gain information from a seemingly insignificant company with ties that led to the Light. Seven of the Team members had been designated as a distraction while Robin had been sent to get information from the company's database. Getting caught hadn't been a part of the plan, but it wasn't anything they couldn't handle, Robin mused as he snuck over the rafters of the company's rather large storage space. The man who was pacing in front of the Team hadn't been very smart with how he tied up the 'captives'. Using ordinary rope on those who had been trained by the world's best was not smart, no matter how strong it may be. Rope was rope. And to those who had been trained right, rope was twine. However, the man, who Robin now assumed was the owner of the company, had spared no expense with his security detail. At least two dozen henchmen were surrounding the area, with henchmen-class guns to boot.

The Team, however, seemed unfazed by the entire ordeal. Everyone was calmly waiting on the floor for a signal to break free. Robin was about ready to give said signal, but he decided to have a bit of fun with the uptight businessman instead. Hey, the mission wasn't _specified_ to be covert. Robin mused to himself as he allowed his signature grin to cross his face.

_Miss Martain, tell everyone that they'd better get ready. _Robin said over the mental link. _I think it's high time these guys learned what sidekicks are all about._ He added in a mischievous voice as he quickly snatched up two thugs on the outer edge of the group with his grappling hook. A quick punch to the gut, and they were out.

Meanwhile, Miss Martian had obviously relayed Robin's message to the rest of the Team, who seemed willing to contribute. And, in good rookie bad guy fashion, the man in the suit hadn't gagged anyone.

"We're not sidekicks!" Kid Flash said loudly with a cocky tone. "I could beat you any day of the week."

The businessman quirked an eyebrow as he turned to face the Team full-on, not noticing as another handful of his security detail were disarmed and knocked out from seemingly out of nowhere. "Oh, really? The real Flash would have managed to put up a much greater fight than you all did combined. I have hired the best security team in the state to guard me and my business. Even the Flash himself wouldn't be able to stop me and what I'm planning."

"Which is?" Zatanna asked in a bored voice.

"Oh, tsk tsk. That's not how this works. Do you really think I would be stupid enough to tell you what I'm planning?"

"Oh, wow. You're going to let us live? Be careful, or you'll ruin your reputation." Artemis said with a roll of her eyes. The entrepreneur clenched his teeth at the young archer's dry comment. As he turned slightly away from the Team, Miss Martain's eyes flashed green as she telepathically slammed half a dozen thugs into a wall and moved them to a corner where they would be out of the way. The businessman spared a glance toward the area, but only barked out a "Stay alert," before turning back the teenaged vigilantes. He took a deep breath before continuing, not noticing how Artemis had taken an arrow from her quiver via her mouth, and tossed it over to Superboy, who, in turn, shoved it underneath the large crate he was positioned next to. The businessman noticed nothing.

_Wow. Either this guy is really confident in his security detail, a complete idiot, or . . . Actually, that's all I'm gonna say for this guy. Confident to a fault, or a moron._ Rocket said on the mental link.

_Yeah. No kidding. That arrow's going to blow in one minute, so we'd better make this quick. It's not a huge explosive, but it could still do some damage._ Artemis added.

_Agreed_. Aqualad said. _It is time for this game to come to a close. Robin, have you finished with the detail?_

_Yep. These guys aren't feeling the aster. And won't for a few weeks to come._ Robin said. _Begin the actual plan._

"I'm going to sell you on the black market." The man in the suit said, not knowing what was going on in the minds of the eight minors. "I know some people, some super powered people, who would pay handsomely to have their pathetic sidekick returned. I can't imagine why. It seems to me that you only slow them down. What use do you hold? All you are good for is to wait as your mentors do all the heavy lifting, while you take notes, wishing that the impossible will happen, that you will one day become your mentors. Because that is all you have in this world. That is your place. To idolize while wearing outfits with certain symbols. You are _nothing_ to me. Nothing. I don't even know what to call you, because you don't have enough worth for me to even call you sidekicks."

As the business man was speaking, Superboy pushed the crate with the explosive arrow jammed underneath far enough away so as not to hurt any of the Team members. The arrow exploded at the end of his speech, and the well-dressed man jumped in fear at the explosion. When he turned back around to face his captives, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped to see them standing, with the ropes that had been containing them at their feet.

It was then that Robin's laugh echoed throughout the building as he jumped down from a catwalk directly above the group, landing just in front of the Team. With a smile on his face and narrowed eyes that each member of the Team was mirroring, he spoke to the businessman who was becoming less shocked and more fearful every second as he took in his surroundings.

"Call us sidekicks. One more time."

**That phrase has been in my head the past few days, so I had to write it down.**

**Thanks so much to all who reviewed! And thanks for the prompts. I'll confess that I just got into DC stuff a couple of months ago, so if you reference anything that's not from the show, I might have to do a bit of research to do your prompts justice, but I'll try my hardest! I'm trying to get my hands on every comic book I can, and I've discovered that Wikipedia and YouTube are going to be lifelong friends of mine, the way they keep helping me out with my research.**

**So far, I'm most knowledgeable about Batman. (If you can call it knowledge.) I've even seen the Christopher Nolan adaptations, which I loved. Speaking of which, I'd like to send a shout out to all of those who lost someone or was injured at the Dark Knight Rises premiere. I know it happened a month ago, but I still think about it often.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you liked it! Leave a prompt or two if ya wanna!**

**-Alex**


	3. The Anniversary

**The Anniversary**

**Thanks to YouCanStandByMe, cunningham020848, SnowflakeWolf, and WithNoFear for your reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, writing fanfiction about a show is a perfect way to announce to the world that you own a TV show. Same goes to everything DC. However, I WILL announce to the world that I have a Batman comic book. It's awesome, and has a position of high honor on my bookshelf.**

**Thanks to cunningham020848 for the prompt 'Angsty Robin'. (Robin's my favorite too.)**

Robin had his head down as he walked through the Cave. He was in his civilian attire, with his ever present sunglasses on as he continued moving through the underground base. There was no real reason behind his wandering, save the fact that he had a lot on his mind and was walking so that he wouldn't be sitting idle. And if there was anything Robin tried to avoid more than anything, it was idleness.

At least that's what the Team assumed. It was just another day to them. There hadn't been a mission in a few days, but that was normal. There was no reason for Robin to be feeling off. Yet . . . there was something that no one could quite understand about the youngest member's behavior. The attitude that fueled his trademark grin was missing. The sparkle that managed to always shine through the mask and sunglasses was barley perceivable. The acrobatic spring was gone from his step. So the Team, wanting to help but not knowing how, gave him his space.

Everyone besides Wally.

"Hey Rob." The speedster said, falling into step with his closest friend.

"Hey Wally. What's going on?" Robin asked half-heartedly. Wally narrowed his eyes before responding.

"Oh no. You're not going to change the subject on me." The redhead said sternly. Robin's head fell by the smallest of degrees, and Wally's face softened. "I know what today is." He added gently. Robin let out a heavy sigh.

"It's been five years, Wally. Five years without them today." He said quietly. Wally didn't say anything, just kept walking and waited for his friend to continue. After a few minutes of walking together in silence, the Boy Wonder did so. "I-I just don't know what to do. It still hurts, and I'm glad that it does, in a way, because it means that I remember them and they were important to me. But I feel like that's spitting in the face of their memory. But what's even worse is that I don't remember everything like I used to."

"What do you mean?" Wally asked. Over the years, Robin had told Wally about the significance of this day and how he was coping, but this was new.

"I mean I don't remember everything. I don't remember exactly how she smelled, or how he laughed. I don't remember exactly what it felt like when they caught me during a performance. I know bits and pieces. I get flashes of memories sometimes, but I know that deep down, they won't stick with me. If I forget all these things at the fifth year, how will I remember everything ten or twenty years from now?" Robin's voice didn't climb in volume or pitch, but instead grew more intense and desperate. Wally was trying to think of something to say when the raven haired boy continued, this time with a voice full of frustration. "But the bad thing is what I _do_ remember. The image of them falling, with arms outstretched to me is still imprinted in my mind as though it happened five seconds ago, and not five years. I remember how both of their faces changed when they both realized what was happening at the same time. I remember how the fear and utter _panic_ crossed their faces as they fell. And I remember how their bodies looked, all mangled and broken on the ground. They were so close, yet so far away, both when they were in the air and on the ground." Robin stopped, his fists clenched as he relived a memory no one ever should have had to live through, especially an eight year old boy. Wally watched as his face tightened, then as he struck out at the wall he was standing next to. The wall cracked and left a large sized hole when Robin took his fist away. It was then that Wally realized that they had walked into the gym.

Without saying a word, Robin walked slowly over to the gymnastics equipment, and jumped up onto the parallel bars. Wally watched wordlessly as his best friend spun and flipped with the skill only a few in the world possessed. Wally himself had often joked that he should try out for the Olympics, and the skill being demonstrated right now only proved his point. What Robin had learned by the age of thirteen took most people their entire career to get to half of his skill level. Even after all of these years, the redheaded speedster still was a bit in awe of his friend. And to think that the current performance was being done in civilian attire and while the acrobat's mind was full of other matters made it all the more impressive.

After a fierce dismount, Robin readjusted his glasses and said, "The worst thing, though? Is that I know that those images will always stay with me. The things I will always remember about my family is how they looked just before they were taken away. I won't remember her laugh and hugs, or his smile and the way he always ruffled my hair before a performance. It's how they died." Robin sat down heavily. After a moment's hesitation, Wally joined him.

"What about . . .?" He asked, trailing off.

"What about Batman?" Robin asked dully. Wally nodded. "He understands. He really does. He knows what it's like. And it's nice. But, it's just not the same. He _is_ my dad, and I'm glad I have him and Alfred, but I just wanted to be away from the mansion today. The very first time I saw it, I told myself that it would never be my home. And now that it is, I wanted a change of scenery. Just for today." Wally nodded and clapped his hand on Robin's shoulder. He then stood up and offered his hand. Robin took it, and walked out of the gym with Wally.

"You're not alone, you know." Wally said. Robin kept looking straight ahead. "I know that you have Bats and Alfred, but you've got me. And the rest of the Team. We're here for you. We may not be perf-, okay, scratch that. We're not perfect. In any way, shape, or form. But we're a Team. We can't replace what you lost, but don't you go around thinking that you don't have anyone around to back you up." Wally said as he led the way into the living room.

There, much to Robin's surprise, was the entire rest of the Team, sitting in a circle, playing a board game. As the two friends entered, Artemis had just moved, which had been a very entertaining play, if the uncontrollable laughter was to be any indication. He cast a glance at Wally, who was smirking at the scene before the two teenagers. Looking over at the Boy Wonder, he smiled and said, "Feel free to join us when you're ready." Before he walked over and plopped himself down next to Conner. "Hit me up, guys! And be ready to be abominated! By whatever it is you guys are playing. Which reminds me, why are we playing a board game?"

M'gann smiled as she handed Wally the pieces he needed for the game. "I found this in one of the closets. It hadn't been used in years, so I figured that it was a good time to dust off the box."

Zatanna nodded as she examined her cards. "Team building." She said. Wally nodded as if this explained everything, then stopped.

"Wait." He turned to M'gann. "You said that you found this in a closet, and it hadn't been used in years?" The Martain nodded uncertainly, becoming even more so with the wide grin that had split across Wally's face. "You guys. That means that the Justice League must have played board games! Think about it. They were the last ones to use the mountain, and if this sucker hadn't been touched in years, it's the only logical theory. The League plays board games!" There was a brief moment before the cave was filled with the sound of laughter.

It was several minutes before the Team managed to catch their breath and calm down, with M'gann wheezing out a 'Hello Megan!' as she gained enough air to do so. After everyone had calmed down enough, Kaldur noticed that there was one more addition to the circle. Smiling at his friend, he quickly handed the necessities over in order for the young boy to join in the game.

As the game started up again, with smiles and smirks on every face, Wally caught Robin's eye, who continued to smile and gave the slightest of nods. Wally nodded back, understanding the wordless message of thanks for being there for him on the anniversary of his parents' death.

**Whew. That one took a while. Not to mention this was my first time writing angst. I'm interested to see what you all think. I really wanted to get across that Batman _was_ there for Robin, but what Robin needed was someone who didn't know what everything felt like. Plus, I like the brother-brother relationship that Wally and Robin have. They rock.  
**

**And, (sadly) I won't be able to update every day. ; ; School is about ready to kick off, so I'll be getting a heck of a lot busier. But I WILL try to update semi-regularly. I should be working on my Danny Phantom fanfic, but I need to get in the habit of writing, so any writing being posted is good by me.**

**And, I do plan on using all of the prompts sent in to me. I can't promise to use them right away, since some research may be required, but I will try to use them. I'm someone who tries to provide quality rather than quantity. I'd rather publish two really well written chapters instead of ten eh-ish ones. So please be patient with me.**

**And lastly, please leave a review. If you've ever written something on here, you know how much reviews are loved. I want to know if I made any mistakes, and if what I'm doing is worthy of the show, because Young Justice is one of the few actually good shows out there. Let's face it: ****good**** cartoons are a dying race, and I really want to do this one justice. (Ha. Did anyone see what I did there?)**

**Thanks again for reading. Y'all rock!**

**-Alex**


	4. Differences

**Differences**

**Thanks to ****Cunningham0208487****, ****YouCanStandByMe, SnowflakeWolf, PD3, and . for the reviews and prompts.**

**Disclaimer: I don't even own a car. How could I own a TV show?**

**Thanks to ****ElfUnderYourBed for the prompt 'Atremis's past and family'.**

Artemis narrowed her eyes as she looked through her binoculars at a small corner store. It looked like it was being held up. Silently, she slipped an arrow out of her quiver and knocked it, pulling the bowstring back by her ear. She waited, like she had been taught. After a few minutes, the thugs came out of the corner store. They had less than a second to relish in their victory as Artemis let her arrow fly. It landed on the ground next to them, and exploded as the green high density polyurethane foam prevented them from running away. Or moving at all.

Artemis wasn't in the mood for long, drawn out brawls tonight. She just wanted to think, which is why she had told Green Arrow that she would cover her own patrol on Star City tonight. Her mentor had given her a long look before nodding and telling her to radio him if she ran into something she couldn't handle. Artemis had nodded and grabbed the communicator he had offered her before walking out the door in her uniform. She respected Star City's protector, even if he acted a bit more like a family member than a mentor. Artemis clenched her teeth as she surveyed the thugs in the foam before nodding and leaving via rooftop. Family. Something that she tried not to dwell on too often, but usually came back to haunt the young archer.

The 'American Dream', with the two story house, happily married parents, two-point-five kids, a nice neighborhood, and the white picket fence, was something that she laughed at. The closest thing to a white picket fence were the black iron gates that kept unwanted people away from the many businesses and homes in her hometown of Gotham City. Her apartment was located on the third story, but her parents did have two kids. Happily married? Not so much. But no family was perfect. Especially Artemis Crock's.

Artemis took in a deep breath before shooting a grappling arrow into a nearby building and swinging over. When she landed, she looked out over the city. Star City was so much different than Gotham. It was . . . cleaner. With no distinct taste of hopelessness in the air. Not that it wasn't without problems. That's what she was here for. To make sure that no one would have to suffer at the hands of some monster, like she'd had to for years.

_Stop it. _She told herself_. There's no use complaining to yourself about something that you can't change. What happened in the past happened in the past, and there's no way to make it better._

But even with those words echoing though her thoughts, Artemis couldn't help but think about how screwed up her life was. On the one hand, she had her family, which was all criminal, with her mother being retired. She's been raised to be one of the people that she now threw in prison. She'd done things she wasn't proud of, things she wished both then and now that she could undo. But nothing could be undone. But Artemis hoped that some things could be repaid. She made it her goal to do something good for every wrong thing she had done with or for her father. She was part of the Team now. She was Green Arrow's protégé. She lived a different life now. With her past life nothing more than a bad dream. But sometimes she had problems distinguishing between her two lives. Because like a bad dream, her past kept returning to haunt her, even when she thought she had left it behind for good. She couldn't escape it, no matter how hard she tried. And she had tried.

The sad part was, no matter how hard she tried, Artemis could not escape the hold that her father had on her, simply because he was her father. He had raised her. He had taught her everything she knew when it came to survival. He was the one who had told her to always be prepared, and that lesson stuck with her to this day, and had saved her life numerous times, and Artemis hated it.

She hated the fact that she was indebted to the man she most despised in the world. She hated the gnawing fact that ate at her mind every time she survived a lethal encounter: that it was thanks to the training given to her by Sportsmaster. She owed him, and would continue to do so her entire life, and that was the thing that riled up the young archer more than anything else. Artemis fingered the edge of one of her arrowheads, thinking about its use.

Before the time of the Justice League, archery had been an Olympic sport. It had been something that most kids found slightly interesting, even though no one took it seriously. But after Green Arrow joined the League, people began to view the wood, stone, and string differently. They were more than just a weapon that went out of style a thousand years ago. That was one of the reasons why Artemis had always admired Star City's defender. He had taken something old and used by few, and he had reintroduced it to the world. Her admiration of him had only grown when she realized that she could use the same tools as him. Of course, she never told her father that. To him, she was good at something. So he taught her how to become great at that something. It was because of _him_ that she was good at what she did.

Artemis growled in frustration. In one fluid motion, she pulled an arrow out of her quiver and fired it into the side of a nearby building. It hit its mark perfectly. With a scowl on her face, Artemis scaled a few rooftops to get to the building, and plucked the arrow from the brick that was encasing the tip. As she rolled the arrow in between her fingers, the scowl slipped of her face. She calmly returned the arrow to its place in her quiver, and continued her patrol.

_That's not right_. She told herself._ Sportsmaster may have taught me how to use my tools of trade, but I'm the one who honed in my abilities. Since I joined the Team, I've gotten better than I ever was with him._ It was true. In the few months she'd been with the Team, she's done better than her father would have ever thought possible. She'd been put in situations that had caused her to think outside of the box, and to think practically.

Sure, Sportsmaster had told her to always do those things, but he had always placed the emphasis on physical talent and skill. He told her that that was what really mattered in the end, because there wouldn't be someone there to bail her out whenever she got into trouble. She was on her own. The only person that she could ever rely on was herself. No one would be there for her. She was her greatest constant. As long as she was perfect, it didn't matter what the rest of the world did. That mindset showed how faulty it was almost immediately after she joined the Team.

Being with the Team had helped her find the balance between physical and mental stability and power. It had taken her a while to warm up to the Team, because of the way her training had been executed. But after a while, she began to see that her father hadn't been right. Her teammates weren't perfect, but they all believed strongly in the cause. They were willing to sacrifice everything, even themselves, for each other. Sometimes that surprised her. Her friends would do anything to protect one another, even give up themselves. That was one of the reasons why the Team was set apart from her family.

Artemis's family relationships were complicated. She cared about her mother and sister. She really did. But with her sister, things were just too hard to think about. They tried to take one another down on a semi-regular basis. But they spared each other's lives almost as frequently. And that made it difficult for anyone to determine just where the two sisters stood. But underneath all of the fighting that they had partaken in, both while training and when Artemis had joined the Team, Artemis never wanted her sister dead. They were sisters. They had trained together. Jade had been the one to patch up Artemis's wounds every night when their father had told them to 'toughen up'. Jade had read to Artemis when they were little, when both parents were out doing who knew what. Artemis had listened silently as Jade ranted about how unfair their father was treating them.

But then Jade left. And Artemis had been alone in suffering through her father's abuse. She'd never told anyone, but that was the key event in her life that changed her from being an innocent and scared little girl to the defensive and sarcastic person she was today. She had to be strong. Because her father was wrong. Her physical skill was not the only thing that would save her. Yeah, it would help if she was caught up in something bad. But the only way to prevent yourself from being really hurt, was to act like you didn't care. To put up walls. To prevent anyone from coming in. Because if you did, that person might have a knife that they would slip between your ribs when you weren't looking. That was how she operated.

But then Batman and Green Arrow approached her with the possibility of joining the team she had saved from Amazo. She accepted, thinking of how it would help her repay the world for everything she had done. She had no intention of making friends. Acquaintances, yeah. Friends? No. She planned to do her part to help fight her father's cause. Nothing more. But then she started to really get to know her teammates. They didn't trust her right away, and neither did she. But they accepted her. She wasn't expecting them too, but they did. They welcomed her, more or less. And slowly, without her knowing, she became close with them. They were her friends. They were her family. She didn't get along well with all of them, but she knew that they had her back when things got ugly. They wouldn't leave, as her real family members did.

Artemis knew these things as she scaled the rooftops of Star City. She knew that she was forever indebted to the man who had raised her, the man who had taught her and trained her to kill. She knew that her family was not one that you would ever want to run to when you were distraught. She knew that when it came right down to it, she didn't want to run to her family when she was distraught. She knew what she had done with her life, and she knew that she _wanted_ better. She knew this.

And she also knew that she _had_ better. She knew that she was part of a Team that knew enough about her for it to really matter that they chose to trust her. She knew that she had earned the trust, and that it felt good to have someone trust you, and to trust them just as much. She knew that this Team would never leave. They were in this for the long haul. She knew, deep down in her heart of hearts, that she could tell her teammates, tell her _friends_, about her past and about her family. She knew this, and what's more, she understood it.

Artemis looked out over Star City, thinking about how different it was from Gotham City, and how different her two families were.

**Sorry this one took so long, you guys. I'm kinda sickly today, which is bad for me, but at least I got some writing done. This one was hard! Artemis is such a cool character. She's one of my all-time favorite characters, not just for Young Justice, but ever. She's so complex and deep. And she's just got the greatest attitude. I commend the writers and producers of YJ for coming up with her fabulous character, because she really is all that.**

**But ****DANG****! She was so hard to write for! I had to watch 'Homefront' like three times. And a bunch of other episode snippets. I just really wanted to get her character right, and I hope I pulled it off.**

**Anyway, thanks so much for reading. And does anyone have any knowledge about when season 2 picks back up? *Spoilers ahead for Season 2* (And did ANYONE else freak out about Artemis joining the Team again and fighting alongside Nightwing? I freaked, because with the not-dying and the plan and Kaldur NOT being evil! That's some excellent writing there, people.)**

**Drop me a review, pretty please!**

**Stay asterous!**

**-Alex**


	5. Best of the Best

**Best of the Best**

**Thanks to everyone who read the last chapter! I didn't get any reviews, so I was a bit bummed about that, but I guess you can't have everything. But if you could drop me a review, please do. They inspire me. ^^ I also wanna know if what I'm spouting is complete crap. I want to get better!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or DC. What, you do?**

The Justice League was the most powerful force on the planet. Possibly the entire universe. Everybody knew about them. Everybody knew that no one had been able to defeat them for long. They were the good guys, and good always won in the end. They were the best of the best. They could run circles around anyone who tried to face them without even trying, and come up successful most of the time. They were the Justice League. It's who they were. No one could touch them.

But then they had all fallen victims to the Light's mind control. And the Team had taken the necessary action to free the Leaguers. The Team didn't know exactly how they were going to accomplish what they knew had to be done. They were sidekicks for a reason. They weren't pros. They were at the top of their game, but the League was an entirely different level. But they tried not to think about that. Their mentors were under mind control, and the Team needed to free them. They had to.

So they had taken the impossible task of going up against the Justice League. And it really was an impossible task. The Team was a group of teenagers. The idea of their mentors, their friends, their families turning on them scared them and made them wary. They had been trained by the League's members. They knew firsthand how powerful they were. They knew the odds.

But they also knew that they had one thing in their advantage. The Light did not think that they were an actual threat. The Light didn't see them as anything that could cause them serious problems. The Light underestimated the Team. But even with that, the Team was still facing the toughest challenge they had ever faced.

It was the Team versus the Justice League. Yes, the League was under mind control, which meant that whoever was puppeteering them was in control of all of the League members, meaning that no League member was acting at full power. And that was what the Team relied on, and used to help them succeed.

But that didn't match up to what the people of Earth thought. To most people, the Justice League was the best. They could be having the worst day of their lives, and still be able to take on most anyone. And forget it if the entire League was there to help out. It didn't matter what anyone said, even at partial power, the Justice League was the best of the best. That's what most people thought.

But the world hadn't been filled in about what had happened on New Year's Eve. While people were waiting for the clock to strike twelve, they had no idea that at a satellite circling the globe, there was a band of minors fighting two of the ones who had been the cause of the Team's formation back in July.

The Team was fighting their mentors because those heroes had all told them about why they fought, and what one's greatest reason for fighting should always be. They were fighting not because they wanted the glory and popularity that came with the knowledge that you had taken on the League. They were fighting because they had made the decision long ago to do so. They didn't even have to ask themselves why they were fighting. They'd never needed to.

But when all was said and done, when all of the League members had been briefed about their activities while under the mind control, both known and unknown, the eight teenagers walked into the zeta tubes together, transporting instantly to the Cave. Wordlessly, they all walked over to the living room area, all still in costume. They all sat down in front of the TV on the couches and arm chairs, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

After a few minutes, Wally cracked a dry joke. Everyone smiled and Zatanna offered up a "Happy New Year," in response. Robin exhaled, "Asterous job you guys. Not many can say that they went up against the Justice League," he said.

"And won." Rocket added. Everyone smiled again and looked at each other. At friends. At family. Conner got up and turned on the TV.

YJ YJ YJ

Several hours later, Black Canary stepped into the Cave's living room. She stopped, surprised at the sight before her. The Team was asleep. Wally, Artemis, and M'gann were all on a couch, leaning and slumped against each other. Kaldur and Conner were sitting on the floor in front of the couch, leaning against it. Zatanna, Raquel, and Robin were all in arm chairs, each seated in a different position.

The TV was turned to a blank, blue screen.

Black Canary smiled to herself as she gazed at the teenagers. The kids had come a long way since July, when three male members had broken into Cadmus, and broken out with a fourth. These minors had acted honorably that night, and Black Canary, and the rest of the League, was proud of them. They had done well. And they deserved a good night's rest.

Black Canary started to walk over to the TV to turn it off, but stopped. With one more smile and a shrug, she left the room, turning off the lights, so that the only light came from the soft, blue glow of the television.

**Yeah, I know. Crazy short. But it had been so long, I had to get something out of my system. If you liked, disliked, or have any comments, please let me know in a review, I love the feedback.**

**Which reminds me: 5 favorites and 9 follows? You guys are the _best_! Thanks so much for the support!  
**

**Speaking of feedback, has anyone seen the trailers for the movie **_**Rise of the Guardians**_**? It looks SO good! And Jack Frost just looks so cool. If you haven't seen it, you really should check it out. Go to YouTube, and type in 'Rise of the Guardians trailer' and watch the 2 trailers.**

**Wow. That was like a commercial. Anyway, I need to crash. It's quite tragic. Remember how I was sick? Well, I got kinda better, then I got worse. Now I'm feeling the disaster.**

**Thanks again for reading!**

**-Alex**


	6. The Speed Force

**The Speed Force**

**Thanks to YouCanStandByMe, nightmare5, Sairey13, and cunningham020848 for reviewing. You guys are the best!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I still don't own. Deal with it.**

**Additional thanks to gingervitis for the prompt 'Wally and the Speed Force'. I'm not doing one where the Team saves him from it, that will come later, but I had this idea and it would not let go. Darn you, plot bunnies.**

"Alright, Kaldur, what's this about?" Wally asked as he stepped out of the zeta tube. "All I got over the communicator was that we're doing some sort of team exercise thing? It's way too early for that," the speedster said with a yawn as he began to stretch. Once he finished, he noticed his team members looking at him funny. "What?"

"It's almost dinnertime," M'gann said.

"Your point?"

"The reason I requested you be here is, indeed, for a team exercise," Kaldur said. "We have been working with one another for several months, and I thought that this would be a good time to talk about our personal strengths," he said, leading the way to the living room.

"You want us to talk about our powers?" Conner asked dubiously. The Atlantean nodded.

"What about those of us who don't _have_ any powers?" Artemis asked dryly. It was Robin that answered her.

"We get to brag about how heavy on the aster we are and show off the awesome gadgets we get to use!" the Boy Wonder said as he jumped on the couch.

Kaldur nodded, "Exactly. Who would like to go first?" There was a brief silence before Artemis spoke up.

"Since the Wall-man was the last to arrive, he should be the one to go first," Wally shot her a dirty look before walking over in front of the TV.

"Fine. But only because you want to hear me talk about myself," he said with a smirk.

"Please continue," Kaldur said before the Team's archer could respond.

Smiling, Wally began, "Well, I'm pretty talented," he said, ignoring the snort that came from Artemis's direction. "I can break the sound barrier without all the huge engines and rockets. All I need to make a sonic boom is a bit of leg room. Because I'm so fast, I need energy to do the things I do at the pace I do them. So I need to eat a lot. Because of all of that, I've also got a fast immune system, which means that my body heals faster than a normal person's would," Wally smiled and gave a bow. "Thank you, thank you. Please, no need to get so excited," he said with a grin. "Any questions?" he asked as he stood up straight. To his surprise, he saw a raised hand. "Yes, Green Cheeks?" he asked.

M'gann put her hand down as she asked, "How did you get your powers? You mentioned when we were trying to find Kent Nelson that you recreated the Flash's experiment that gave you your powers, but could you elaborate?" the Martain asked.

Wally nodded. "I won't bore you guys with all the long, boring names of the chemicals that I used, so I'll make this short. The Flash got his powers because lightning struck a case full of chemicals, and they broke and spilled on him. I did some research when I was younger, and I found some old reports in my uncle's files, and I decided to see if I could find the same chemicals. I did, and I was reading the report to see what any of this had to do with lightning. I was standing there, reading, and all of a sudden, ZAP! Lightning struck the case of chemicals, and they spilled all over me. And the rest is history," Wally finished.

"Lightning struck twice?" Conner asked.

"You bet it did! And nice symbolism there, Supey. Lightning. Twice. Flash and Kid Flash. Very nice. Any more questions from the crowd?"

"I have a question, Wally," Kaldur said. "Where does your power come from? You spoke about how it came to be yours, but where does it come from?" This time it took a few moments for Wally to answer, and when he finally did, it was in a thoughtful voice.

"That's . . . complicated. See, there's this thing called the Speed Force. It's this extra-dimensional force where super speed powered humans draw our abilities from. I don't know very much about it, other than the fact that it's the ultimate measure of velocity in this universe. People like me are called Speed Force Conduits,"

"What can you do with this Speed Force? Do you just get your speed from it?" Conner asked.

"We don't really know. There's so much we don't know about it. We speedsters draw our power from it. It's sort of like a barrier. You know, like the sound barrier? There's a sound barrier, a light barrier, a time barrier, a dimensional barrier, and finally the Speed Force barrier. It's possible to break it, and even enter it, from what I've been able to calculate. But that would require going faster than I've ever tried going, faster than even the Flash has probably tried reaching. Trying to break the Speed Force would mean having to go faster than two miles a second, from what I've attempted to figure out, anyway,"

"Is it hard?" M'gann asked. When Wally threw her a confused look, she elaborated. "I sometimes have trouble reigning in my powers and keeping them under control, the training exercise is example enough, and my powers come from within me. Is it hard, knowing that you need to draw on something else to get your power?"

Wally's eyes were unfocused as he thought about his answer. "Yes and no. The Speed Force is a relatively new discovery. It's not something that's been around forever, since the first speedster was the first Flash, who was active in the forties. We only realized that it was, you know, there after the current Flash had been in activity. From what I've been able to gather, the current Flash might have had something to do with the actual creation of the Speed Force. But, again, we don't know much about it," he said with a shrug.

The next question came from Artemis, "Is there a limit to what the Speed Force can do?"

"I wish I knew more, but all I have is a few guesses and theories about it," Wally said nonchalantly. But after seeing the looks of expectation from his teammates, he continued. "Geez, you guys. I didn't know you cared so much. But keep in mind, I really don't know for sure. This is just pure theory," He took a breath in before he continued.

"The Speed Force is a force. And since all forces have limits of some sort, it makes sense that there would be a limit to the Speed Force. I don't know how fast I'd have to go to reach the limit. It would have to be a lot faster than just breaking it. Breaking a barrier and exceeding its limit are two completely different things. Not to mention that the entire thing is a very tricky business."

There was a brief silence before Robin asked his first question, because he'd already heard most of what had just been said. "What happens when you hit the limit? What would happen to you?"

Wally looked over at his friend with a grave expression that did not match the carefree and exuberant smile he often wore. "In theory?" Nods came from everyone in the room before he answered. "I'd die."

There was silence for a long moment while the Team digested this. Wally was staring at the floor, with his arms crossed. It was Conner who broke the silence, "So, if you went as fast as you possibly could, it would be the end? There is a limit on how fast you could go?" Wally looked at the clone with tired eyes. Conner nodded, understanding.

After another long moment of silence, Kaldur cleared his throat and said, "I believe this has been enough for team building today."

YJ YJ YJ

Wally walked down the street to his aunt and uncle's house. His parents were going on vacation, so he had opted to stay with the people he viewed as his second parents. On a normal day, he would rush home in a very speedster-esque manner, but today, his gait was a slow, average walk. Him talking about the fact that he might die if he went as fast as possible was a bit of a downer. The Team had been great after Kaldur deemed that Wally's talk was enough for one day. Artemis hadn't said anything in an argumentative tone, M'gann had made cookies, and Conner and Robin had played video games with him. But the atmosphere hadn't felt right. Wally had felt as if everyone was tip-toeing around him, so he left. Wally let out what felt like his millionth sigh as he let himself into the house, sneaking upstairs so as not to alert Aunt Iris that he was home. He wanted to sulk. Wally stepped into his room, closed the door behind him, and turned on the light. He froze when he saw what was on his bed.

There, sitting on his bed, (which, Wally noted, was freshly made) were six plush toys. One of them was of Kid Flash, the other five were of the other Team members. Wally was dumbstruck. He knew that stores carried toy versions of the Justice League, and even some of the sidekicks that had been around for a while, like him, Robin, and Kaldur. But M'gann, Conner, and Artemis weren't nearly as well known by the public, since they hadn't been fighting crime as long. Stepping closer to the plush display, he saw that the toys were positioned in a way that made it look like they were all holding hands. It was then that he noticed the small slip of paper lying in front of all of the plush toys. There were five lines, with each line written by a different hand.

_We win as a team,  
We lose as a team.  
Through blood, sweat, and tears,  
We are a Team.  
Nothing will ever change._

On any other day, Wally would have rolled his eyes and snickered at the corny situation, maybe even crack a joke about why he surrounded himself with such softies. But not today. Today, he smiled, walked over to his desk, tore off a piece of tape, stuck the paper on his wall, and put all the plush toys out on his night table, where he'd see them all the time. Who cared if someone said it wasn't manly to have plush toys of sidekicks, those "sidekicks" were his friends.

**Okay, I know that this took forever, but I was really busy. I am sorry this took so long. Senior year is tough! I'll try to do better next time, but it probably won't be as long as this. Or maybe it will. Who knows when inspiration will strike? And I hope you all liked the plushie idea. When I came up with it, I thought it would be sweet. I know I'd like it if my friends took the time to do that for me.  
**

**Please leave a review, and a prompt if there's something you want to see! It can be an idea, a phrase, a word, anything prompt-y. :)  
**

**-Alex**


	7. Too Quickly

**Too Quickly**

**Thanks to gingervitis for reviewing. You are cool!**

**Disclaimer: Disclaimed**

Paula Crock wheeled herself quietly towards her daughter's room. She paused at the doorway before she entered, making sure that Artemis really was asleep. When she was satisfied, Paula rolled over to her sleeping child, who was curled up underneath her covers, and gently tugged the hair elastic out of her golden hair. Paula sighed as she looked over her daughter. She reached out to tuck a stray piece of hair away from her face and tucked it behind the young archer's ear. It was then that Paula noticed the small white scar right above her daughter's ear.

"Oh, Artemis," Paula said sadly, placing the hair tie on the night stand and wheeling out of the room. As she entered the hallway, one of the few pictures that was hung on the wall caught her eye. It was the only picture of Artemis that had her smiling. Paula smiled as she looked at the happy glint in the steel grey eyes of her child. That glint wasn't there anymore. Not often, anyway.

All too often, Artemis' eyes were as hard as a drill sergeant's. She was focused and determined. She didn't speak of her missions that often, but when she did, there was an experience behind her words, behind her eyes. The way Artemis spoke about her missions reminded her a bit of what life was like back when she had the use of her legs. Exhilarating, but painful to relive. Paula mentally shook herself. No. What Artemis was doing was nothing like what she had done all those years ago. But there were some similarities.

Artemis's eyes would sometimes harden when asked how a mission went, and Paula would always know that something had happened. She didn't know what, who, or even the circumstances. But she knew that her youngest child had seen something, experienced something that most people couldn't ever dream about. She knew that her daughter was taking part in an activity that was adding years to her life every day. The things she was doing at the age of fifteen was mind boggling. She'd helped save the world, a few lives, a few dreams.

At that thought, Paula felt herself swell with pride. It was her daughter that was doing those things. Only one other person on the Team didn't have any powers, and he was the Dark Knight's protégé. Artemis hadn't ever had that kind of training. She'd been trained to kill, and she'd managed to find a way to rise above that and use her abilities to help countless others. And her training had stopped several years ago. Artemis hadn't had anyone but herself to be held accountable before Green Arrow took her on as his own protégé. Her daughter had done those things. She was always proud of the work Artemis had done.

But it all came at a price.

Artemis had never been able to experience a true family Thanksgiving. She'd never been given the chance to have a birthday party. She'd only celebrated Christmas a handful of times. She'd never really been showered with love and affection the way normal children were. She'd been trained from what had felt like day one. Artemis had held up well, in hindsight. It hadn't mattered at the time, but Paula regretted every day that she hadn't gone straight sooner for her girls. They'd learned how to leave a full grown man unconscious while other children learned how to do long division. They'd learned how to use a vast arsenal of weaponry before they knew how to drive. They had been trained to do the things horror movies couldn't dream about recreating.

Paula glanced over her shoulder at the dark room of her sleeping daughter. Artemis had given up so much. What she was doing was what many children dreamed of doing, but no one could really understand the toll it took on the people who had decided to take up the mantle.

Sometimes Paula felt like Artemis had learned from experience how difficult the world was at too young of an age. Her daughter had needed to grow up too quickly.

YJ YJ YJ

Bruce Wayne sat at his office desk in his Gotham City mansion. The old grandfather clock ticking softly on the far wall. The multi-billionaire was reading through his adopted son's report card. Exceptional grades, with a brief note from the English teacher, who expressed her desire that Dick stop slaughtering the language she taught. Rolling his eyes, he flipped the sheet over. To his surprise, there was a sticky note attached, reading, "The A minus is from the day Master Dick was kidnapped by the Joker. This particular incident was the one that lasted several days. He failed a test and quiz, but did an extra credit assignment to make up for it. –Alfred"

Bruce furrowed his brow as he though back to what Alfred's note had been referring to. Ah yes. A few months ago. Robin had been unconscious for a large majority of the time, and the homicidal clown had been moving his base of operations every few hours. It had taken three days to find the two. Dick had needed to go into emergency care due to the torture the Joker had inflicted upon the young acrobat. He'd been gone from school for an entire week, under the alias that he'd gone with Bruce to the Swiss Alps to ski. Bruce continued to think back to the time, but he couldn't ever recall Dick saying anything about having trouble with any of his studies. But then, Dick was never one to tell of his struggles. He bore his injuries, and his problems with silence. Despite his carefree and mischievous attitude, he was slow to admit that he needed help or that he was struggling. It had taken him a near failed mission to finally admit that he was not the right person to lead the Team.

Considering the line of work both Dick and Bruce were in, he could understand where the boy was coming from. But that didn't make this trait any less dangerous. Robin could get seriously hurt if he refused to admit he needed help. He would have to talk with the young acrobat. Bruce sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes.

Dick was a good kid. Not many could handle living a duo life on a quarter of the sleep most people got. And have such a positive outlook.

There were sometimes when Bruce felt guilty for letting his ward pursue the life he was. Dick's parents had been murdered, and he had needed to make sure that the man responsible was brought to justice. But that did not mean that the boy needed to don a Kevlar woven suit and mask every night and leap across rooftops, bagging crooks at the speed it took an average person to bag groceries. But Bruce knew that he had needed to step in. He'd taken the boy in so that Dick wouldn't grow to become what Bruce had turned into when he had lost his own parents in Crime Alley all those years ago. Bruce may have doubted his decision a few times when the two of them were first getting comfortable with one another, but not since Batman had finally accepted Robin as his protégé. Robin had saved his hide more times than Bruce cared to count. Together, the Dynamic Duo was a well-oiled machine that was a true force to be reckoned with. Even though he was barely out of boy-hood, he had gone up against people far stronger than he, and had come out on top.

But Dick was just a boy. He was barely adolescent. Sometimes Batman forgot that. When someone's been kidnaped, beaten, starved, and tortured, it was hard to look at them the same when they looked at you in the eye, wiped the blood off, and told you that they would be right behind you. Sometimes one had to be reminded that their partner in taking down serial killers with nothing but a few pieces of sharpened metal and their wits to make it work was someone who had yet to earn their driver's license. It was hard.

Dick's eyes had seen the worst that Lady Gotham could dish out. So much was riding on his shoulders. So much knowledge, so many memories, too many horrors.

Bruce Wayne clasped his hands together, and brought them up to his face, thinking. He knew that Robin wanted this life, that _Dick_ wanted this life. But he couldn't help but feel that as a father, he needed to remember that he had sacrificed so much to make it all work. If not his childhood, than his future.

Sometimes Bruce felt like Dick had grown up too quickly.

**Hmmm . . . I don't know about this one. I wanted to show how Dick and Artemis were similar, not only because they don't have super powers, but because they had to grow up really quickly in order to deal with what it was they had to go through early in their lives.**

**That being said, I WROTE FROM BATMAN'S POINT OF VIEW! And it was TOUGH. That's the part I'm the most unsure about. I mean, how does one manage to get inside the Dark Knight's head? No one can! He's Batman for Batman's sake!**

**Ugh. I have 2 quizzes to study for. And 15 minutes before I'm supposed to hit the sack. And a huge pile of homework. What to do . . . At least I got this finished. I have a list of all my prompts, and "Robin and Artemis: Growing up too quickly" was on there. And this was born.**

**Well, thanks for reading. If you liked, have a problem with, or think I should do something differently with what is above, please let me know in that lovely box below.**

**Stay asterous,**

**-Alex**


	8. The Hunter

**The Hunter**

**Thanks to Sairey13, Infinite Alpha-Omega 1, and Poseidon'sdaughter3 for reviewing. Y'all rock!  
**

**Disclaimer: I wonder what would happen if I did say I owned this. Would FanFiction sue me? Because let's be real. The people who write/create all this stuff don't check this site to find people to sue. Eh. I still don't own.  
**

******This sucker came to me in the form of a line in a book. The book was _Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code_. I had to take the inspiration where it led me. This also is something that I just turned in for an assignment. We were supposed to write a story that was at least a thousand words. This is a bit over four thousand. But because of the assignment, this is in an alternate universe.  
**

_Thwack._

"I'm telling you, Artemis, you're doing a great job," Ollie Queen said, studying the target downrange as he adjusted his protégée's arm. "So long as you keep that elbow of yours down, you'll be going for gold."

Artemis smiled to herself as she let another arrow fly. It sliced through the air and hit its mark on the target. She'd been practicing for several hours today, and had a several clusters to show for her efforts. "Thanks, Ollie. I'm not at the Olympics yet, though. I haven't even made it past the choosing competition yet," she said as she checked over her compact bow before setting it down and walking downrange to retrieve her arrows. She could hear her mentor chuckle as she pulled the arrows from the target.

"The 'choosing competition'? Really, Artemis? When are you going to start using the actual name? It's only a few months away, after all."

"When I get there. Titles don't matter to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to go. Not to mention I'll get to see you with your old Olympian buddies," the young archer called as she placed the last arrow in her quiver. Ollie waited until she was back at the firing point before answering.

"My _old_ Olympian buddies? Come on, I was in the last Olympics. Several of my 'old buddies' are participating this year," he said, picking up her black bow and handing it to her. "As far as I know, I'm the only one that's going to be there as a mentor and not a player."

Artemis shrugged. "If you say so, Mr. Queen," she said, doing a final check of her equipment to see that everything was in working order. It was then, out of the corner of her eye that she noticed a set of arrows that had been set out on a nearby bench. Nodding toward them, she asked, "What are those?"

Ollie glanced at them, excited. "Oh, just something I've been working on. I didn't want to show you until it was finished," Artemis raised an eyebrow as she followed her mentor to the bench, slipping her bow across her shoulders as she did so. Her mentor was a peculiar man. He had been an esteemed archer, making the gold medal in several Olympic Games. Last year, he decided to teach the next generation the lost art of archery and had taken her on as his 'protégée'. He never referred to her as a student or a pupil or anything like that. It was odd, but it fit the relationship they had. She never referred to him as "coach". If she wasn't calling him Ollie or Mr. Queen, it was "my mentor". It wasn't normal, and several people had said it was inappropriate. Ollie had laughed when a reporter had said that it wasn't right to call her a protégée, due to her being a relative novice to the sport. He replied that he thought it was more dignified than using "student", and Artemis agreed.

Ollie smiled at her over his shoulder as he picked up the set of arrows. He held one up for her to examine. She took it, running her fingers up and down the shaft. "There's no arrowhead," she said. Artemis looked up as her mentor erupted into laughter. She smiled as she waited for an explanation.

"I know. That's what's cool about it. You know how I love my action movies, right? Well I was tinkering around in my workshop a few weeks ago, and I had a great idea. I call them trick arrows!" Ollie exclaimed, waving his arms dramatically. Artemis did nothing except raise an eyebrow. Ollie smirked when he saw her face, "Oh, don't give me that look. I know you're impressed. I mean, look at the arrow you're holding. There's no arrowhead, but you can see that the shaft is thicker where the arrowhead would go. There's also a pressure pad at the tip of the arrow. It-" Artemis cut him off.

"Okay, Ollie. It's a great piece of engineering. What does it do?" Ollie smiled as he took the arrow from her and knocked it into his own bow slung across his back. He raised his bow, aiming at a nearby target. He released, and Artemis watched as the arrow hit the center. She blinked as a dark cloud seemed to be expanding from where the arrow had struck. A few moments later, the entire target was surrounded in the red cloud. She looked at her mentor, eyes wide.

"It's high density polyurethane foam," Ollie said proudly. He pulled out another arrow. "This one shoots out fireworks, you can tell because the fletching is red. The ones with foam have black fletching," Artemis blinked again. Ollie cracked a grin. "I know, this old Olympian still has some old tricks right?" He checked the clock, "Oh, shoot. I need to get home, or the wife will have my head. You need a ride?"

Artemis snapped out of her stupor. She cast the arrows a glance before responding, "No. I think I'm going to shoot a few more rounds before heading home," Ollie nodded, reminded her to hit the lights and lock the doors before she left, ruffled her hair, and left whistling. Artemis smiled before knocking an arrow and firing at a target.

A few minutes later, Artemis had one arrow left in her quiver. She drew it, pulling back the bowstring, making sure to keep her elbow down as she did so. She took a deep breath, releasing the string as she exhaled. She allowed herself a small smile as she heard the arrow meet its mark. Her moment of satisfaction was cut short by the sound of someone clapping behind her. Surprised, she turned. When she saw who it was, her hand flew to her empty quiver.

Leaning against a wall, wearing a dark workout suit, was a man. There was nothing extraordinary about him, save for a thin, red scar that ran along the left side of his jaw. The workout suit covered his entire body, but Artemis could tell that he was well muscled. Her eyes flickered to the suit's logo located on the left pectoral muscle. To anyone else, the logo was advertising a fitness center. Artemis knew better. It was her father's logo. This man had been sent from her father's business. That meant that someone wanted her dead. Before she could begin looking for an escape route or another set of arrows, the man spoke.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I have a message. From your father," Artemis narrowed her eyes. She hadn't heard from Lawrence Crock since she had decided to leave him and live with her mother.

"Who are you?" She asked, making sure to keep her distance from the man. He shrugged.

"Names are unimportant. You can call me Red Scar," he said. If anyone else had said it, Artemis would have rolled her eyes and quipped about stupid names, but this man was not joking, and he had a presence that gave off the impression that any insults about his name would result in a scar on the face of whoever had been jibing. Artemis backed up, her mind racing as this Red Scar continued.

"I am sent from your father. His says that the time has come. You have spent the past three years training in the practiced arts. It's time to stop shooting at targets for your country, and start shooting targets for money."

Artemis's eyes flashed as she looked at the hired killer. "No," she said, trying to make herself appear tall.

Red Scar narrowed his eyes. "Come on," he said, "It's your family business. It's time for you to join."

"I said no," Artemis said, her annoyance growing. "I don't need to be in the family business, and more importantly, I don't want to."

Red Scar scowled. "What, do you think that you're better than those of us who do work for your father? Or are you just scared of taking a life?" he asked.

"I don't feel the need to take part in the family business. If I'm ever attacked, I'll be able to defend myself. My dad taught trained me for a long time before I began this Olympic trial. Have you ever tried being an Olympian? It's not easy, and I have a good chance of making it," Artemis said hotly.

"You think you're so great? You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with your fists," Red Scar sneered. Artemis noticed that the two of them had come closer to one another while arguing, and they were an arm's length away from each other. A voice in the back of her mind told her to back off, but she pushed the thought aside.

"Oh, and you could?" she asked mockingly.

"Wrong response," Red Scar said. Then, almost faster than Artemis could follow, the hired assassin ducked behind her, knocking her legs out from underneath her as he did so. Artemis fell to her knees, and tried to avoid what she knew was coming by swinging her arm behind her to stun her opponent. Her arm was grabbed at the wrist, as was her other, and they were both pinned painfully to her lower back. Red Scar stood behind her, holding both her wrists firmly in one hand, and held a cold blade to her throat with the other. The next words that came from him were whispered in her ear.

"I know who you are, Artemis Crock. I know what you've done when you were being trained by your father. All of it. You were named after a goddess, the goddess of innocence, if I remember correctly. You are anything but innocent. You've done things in your past that you don't want anyone to know, especially since you're a shoo-in for the Olympics. Remember tonight. Remember how you feel right now. Remember how helpless you were, and despite all of the training, there was nothing you could do to defend yourself."

Artemis swallowed, felt a solid impact on the back of her skull, and sank into the darkness of unconscious.

YJ YJ YJ

". . . you okay? . . . temis? Artemis. Wake up!" Artemis opened her eyes groggily to see Ollie kneeling over her with a concerned expression on his face. "Artemis, what happened?" he asked, helping her sit. Artemis brought her hand to the back of her head, which was throbbing like a mother.

"I thought you went home," was all she could say. Ollie frowned.

"I forgot my keys. I came in to see you sprawled on the floor. I ask again: What happened?"

Artemis looked around her, trying to find an explanation. There was no way she was going to tell Ollie what had happened, or with whom it had happened. "I-I tripped, and I hit my head on that bench," she said. Ollie frowned as he reached behind himself and grabbed an ice pack, which he pressed to the back of his protégée's head.

"Make sure you watch where you're going next time. Another hit like that to your cranium and you might get a concussion," he said gently. Artemis grimaced and nodded, taking the ice pack and applying it firmly to her injury. After a pregnant silence, Artemis shakily stood, testing her balance. Ollie placed a hand lightly under her elbow to keep her steady. After a few wobbles, Artemis managed to walk a few feet on her own to a bench. Sitting down, she gingerly messaged her tender skin and looked over at Ollie. He was looking at her with a concerned expression on his face.

Artemis let out a heavy puff of air. "Shouldn't you be headed home? Your wife won't be happy if you wait much longer, even if you did forget your keys."

Ollie carefully examined her face. "Are you sure you don't need a ride home? I don't want you to go out there if you're not feeling well."

Artemis waved him off. "I'll be fine. I'll probably take a shower here before I go, and the bus stop is only half a block away," she said.

Ollie smiled and pulled her into an unexpected bear hug. "You're going to go far, my little protégée," he said to her. "You're a trooper," Artemis smiled and hugged him back. After a few seconds, they broke the embrace, smiled at one another, and parted ways. Ollie to his car parked outside, Artemis to the gym's showers.

Artemis waited until she heard Ollie's car leave the parking lot before she came out from the bathrooms. She hurried over to where she had left her equipment and gathered it up. She hadn't lied. She would be fine. She just had a score to settle before that happened. Before she walked out of the gym, she caught sight of Ollie's trick arrows. After a brief consideration, she slipped the arrows into the quiver strapped across her back before hitting the lights and locking the door behind her.

Artemis ducked into the first alley she could once she was outside. Regardless of how dark it was, a teenaged girl with a bow and some arrows strapped to her back was a sure sign to get some questioning looks. Artemis reached into her pocket and pulled out her iPod. She scrolled through the apps before selecting one. The Star City Police Scanner began broadcasting through her ear buds. Artemis ducked through back alleyways as she listened.

She doubted that this Red Scar guy would get any attention from the local authorities, but taking extra precautions was the best way to get the job done. She smiled grimly at the thought. Her father had repeated that like a mantra over the course of her life.

Artemis remembered how her father had started her training. She was seven at the time, with Jade, her older sister, at age eleven. Lawrence Crock had taken the two of them to the woods behind their house, leading them to a clearing. He had told them that he had started his own company, and he hoped that someday his children would be at the head of the company. "The best of the best," he had said. They had begun that afternoon, starting with martial arts. After a few weeks of working, they moved onto weapons.

Artemis clenched her fists as she moved through the back alleyways. Looking back, she knew exactly what it was her father had meant and why he had done what he had done. But back then, she didn't think much of what they were doing. Her father was spending time with her and her sister, which didn't happen very often. It wasn't until human targets replaced the bull's eye targets a few weeks after she had discovered her talent for archery when she began to suspect something strange was up, but she had brushed it off.

Then her father had instructed her and her sister on the many ways that someone could take a life while making it seem like a completely natural demise. Artemis remembered questioning her father. "Why are you teaching us this?" she'd asked. Her father and sister had looked at her for a moment, surprised, before her father replied.

"Because, my little archer, you may need to know," was all the answer she got. Artemis had shrugged before taking part in the lesson. A few days later, she figured out the true reasoning behind the lessons. She'd been confused and scared, but she kept going to her father's lessons. She hadn't known what else to do. She tried talking to her mother about it, since Paula Crock hadn't been supportive of the idea to begin with, but she never was able to pluck up the courage. When her father began "teaching" most family activities had stopped. Soon it didn't feel like a family. It felt like a business.

In the end, Artemis had ended up doing several things that she wanted to keep under the rug, for legal and personal reasons. She'd been trained by the head of an assassination company to become a part of that company. She'd been trained to be the best at what she did. And she had been. She probably still was. The scene from the gym played in the back of her mind. She dismissed it. She'd made a mistake. She wouldn't make it again.

She wouldn't be like her mother, who had made the same mistake twice, which had cost her the use of her legs. Paula Crock's paralysis had been the initiative to get Artemis out of the environment they had been living in for so many years. So one morning they had packed up and left. They would have taken Jade, but she had already been accepted to her father's company. Artemis had woken up that morning to find her bed in the room they shared empty, along with several of her personal possessions missing. Artemis's mother had told her over breakfast to pack her things, and the two Crock women had left over lunch.

Artemis sighed as she took in her surroundings, mentally berating herself for getting lost in the past. She was out after dark for a reason, and being distracted wouldn't help in any way, shape, or form. She saw an alley led to the street a bit off to her left, and stepped out to find out where she was. She made sure that the darkness cloaked her enough to prevent anyone from shooting her strange looks due to her method of accessorizing. As she glanced around for a street sign, she noticed someone exiting the diner across the street. She quickly zeroed in on him when she realized that he was her target. The scar along his jaw was unmistakable. She began following him, making sure that he didn't know he was being followed.

It was strange. Who stopped by at an old diner after delivering a message from the head of the company for which you worked? The questions that kept Artemis up at night. She shook off her questions as she darted across the street so she was following him directly. Now was not the time. She needed to stay focused. Red Scar was smart and experienced, and if she was going to do what she was planning, she needed to be one step ahead of him.

Then, to her surprise, Red Scar ducked into the next alley. Frowning, Artemis followed, only to be met by his back a few feet in front of her. The alley was a dead end, stretching maybe twenty feet before the tall brick buildings met with one another. This was the kind of place you didn't want to be caught off-guard with the wrong people. And just as luck would have it, that was her current situation. This guy was a trained professional. He probably spotted her the second he had left the restaurant, and had walked into this part of town, this specific alley, with the knowledge that the Olympic hopeful would follow. With his back still facing her, he spoke.

"I was hoping for more. Your father said good things about you. Almost impressive things," Red Scar turned around. He bared his teeth into what could have been a smile. Artemis narrowed her eyes. Red Scar looked at her disinterestedly. He looked over his shoulder, as if the end of the alley was more interesting than her. Artemis didn't think as she ran toward him and delivered a right hook shot to his face. Then, without hesitating, she threw a few more punches and kicks.

Red Scar was stunned, to say the least. It was a moment before he could understand what was happening enough for him to retaliate. He threw a few well aimed punches of his own, but was caught off guard when she kicked him square in the chest, sending him back a few feet. By the time he regained his balance and looked up, he found an arrow pointed at his chest. Artemis was breathing steadily, looking at him with a blank expression. He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, but she didn't lower her weapon, nor did she relax the tension she was giving her bowstring.

"I wasn't just trained in the normal ways of the trade," she said after a moment in a calm, quiet voice. "I was raised in the brutal reality of assassin work. _Raised_. You may have more years of experience, but you had a past, a life before you chose this. I didn't. I've lived it, and I don't want to be a part of it anymore. So I have a message for him. You tell him that I want no part of this family business. I have a life, and it's a million times better than any offer he could make me. You tell him that I'm sick of all this 'family' crap, and that I want to be left alone. Tell him that I've got enough tricks up my sleeve and in my quiver to fend for myself, and if he sends anyone else after me, they won't be as lucky as you," she said venomously. And with that, she released her arrow.

After a few seconds, Red Scar registered the fact that the arrow hadn't pierced his body. He also had his back to the end of the alley, which had been a few feet behind him a few moments ago. After a brief glance, Red Scar saw that the arrow had pinned his jacket to the brick wall. The arrow had missed him by mere millimeters. A few _twangs_ could be heard, and a few moments later, several other arrows had other various articles of clothing pinned to the wall behind him. Red Scar looked at the teenager before him. She was knocking another arrow, keeping her eyes firmly clapped on him. While she watched, he grabbed an arrow and pulled it out of the brick work. It was harder than he expected, with the arrowhead at least two inches deep into the brick, but he managed. He smiled and tauntingly held up the arrow.

"Is that all you've got, little girl? It's going to take more than that to get a message across."

Strangely enough, the young archer smiled at his statement. "Oh, I know," she said. And with that, she aimed her arrow at his feet. It landed just in front of him. Red Scar's taunt about aim died in his throat as a dark cloud expanded from the arrow. The cloud soon over took him, and he could feel the substance hardening as it expanded. It wasn't long before his entire body, save his head, was immersed in the substance. Baffled, his eyes flickered to his captor's face. She had strapped her bow to her back, but had pulled out another arrow. She walked until she was standing an arm's length away from him. She extended the arrow until the arrowhead pricked his cheek. He felt a small trickle of blood trail down his face. She traced his scar with the arrow, being sure to not nick him.

"You know," she said conversationally, "you were sort of right. I have done several things that I don't want to be shared. I'm not a goddess. But I am named after one. Artemis is the goddess of purity, but she's better known as the goddess of the moon, archery, and the hunt," Artemis's voice dropped to a menacing tone. "That's me. Now I want you to remember how you feel right now. I can see the fear in your eyes. Remember how helpless you were to stop me from winning my own game. I'm Artemis the hunter, and I hunted you."

Artemis curled her hand into a fist and brought it to meet Red Scar's face. His nose crunched, and a heavy flow of blood began to pour from it. She then took a fistful of his hair and bashed his skull against the brickwork, not hard enough to do permanent damage, but enough to knock him out. She noticed a shadow of blood was left against the wall when his head slumped forward.

She turned, knocked the firework arrow, and fired it into the dark Star City sky. It erupted directly over the alleyway. Artemis hurried out of the area as soon as she was sure that Red Scar wouldn't wake up until after he was in a cell. The note she'd attached to his unconscious form declared him as someone worth keeping if one would run a check on his DNA. Artemis knew that the police wouldn't hold him for long. He worked for her father. Red Scar would walk freely as soon as Lawrence Crock got wind of the fact that one of his agents was under arrest. It was how the business worked. But hopefully Red Scar would give something to Lawrence Crock when he could. A message. From his youngest daughter.

Artemis took a deep breath in as she stowed her bow and quiver in her gym bag. Tonight had been exciting. She looked up at the stars, and her eyes flickered over to the full moon, which, for some unexplained reason, was fully visible through all of the city smog and pollution. She gave it a small smile before beginning the walk home.

**Whew! That was fun. I hope I get a good grade. Speaking of which, since this was an assignment, I swapped a few things around. So if you see anything that doesn't look right, like a misspelled name or genderswapping, let me know so I can fix it.**

**Speaking of fixing, Happy Holidays! I hope you have a good rest of your year if I don't see you again until 2013. Unless the world ends. But I don't think that that will happen. No offense if you do, but that's my personal opinion.  
**

**As always, leave me a review and prompt! I _will_ try to do every prompt that I get. It might take me a while, but I do plan to do them all.  
**

**Stay asterous, and Happy Holidays!**

**Alex  
**


	9. Beauty from Beyond the Surface

**Beauty from Beyond the Surface**

**Thanks to StrangerInAStrangeWorld. Time for some Kaldur love!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything that is of any real value. 'Sides my bottle of grapefruit juice. And my muffins. I like muffins.**

**Thanks to YouCanStandByMe, Sairey13, Auri the Awesome, Gingervitis, and the Guest reviews! (Shout out to the Guest reviewer who pushed my attention towards the fact that I haven't updated in forever. Thanks for motivating me!)**

"I'm telling you, Wally. There's nothing prettier than flowers. Since Mars is so cold, there's nothing like flowers back at my home. I always loved it when my uncle J'onn brought freeze-dried flowers back for us when he visited. They would always make my life a bit brighter. Whenever I was having a bad day, I would go to see the flowers from Earth. I love the flowers here. There's nothing more beautiful," M'gann said happily as she gazed at the lilies she had picked from nearby fields earlier that afternoon. "I love how familiar and exotic they are."

Wally smiled at her. "They have nothing on you, babe," he said with a suave smile. "But," he conceded. "Flowers are something else. No matter what girl you happen to be with, you can never go wrong with flowers."

Kaldur smiled at his teammates, and stepped quietly out into the hall to give them their privacy. He could tell that Wally was going to make another attempt at wooing the Martian girl. Even though Kaldur knew M'gann was involved with Conner, he had enough respect for his teammates to let them keep their secret.

YJ YJ YJ

M'gann sat on a chair in the far corner in the library. She stared at Caucasian skin. Black Canary had said that her uncle would be willing to teach her. That he would help her control her powers so what had happened today wouldn't happen again. So there wouldn't be another instance where she would accidentally make her friends believe that they had died.

None of her friends blamed her. They had all defended her to the League, and for that she was grateful. But she was also scared to be around them. She wasn't scared of them, but she was scared that she might harm them without knowing.

It was funny, she mused to herself dully. She had never considered herself to be truly dangerous. She knew that she could do amazing things with her mind, but that had always paled in comparison with the strength of her uncle, Superman, or other members of the League. Even among her teammates, she considered Superboy and Aqualad to be stronger than she. The power that she had was terrifying, to say the least. She didn't know if she could control it. M'gann felt a few tears slip down her cheeks as her fists clenched before rising to hide her face.

Almost immediately, she felt a pair of strong arms around her. It was the gentle strength of those arms that made her break down as she let loose the torrent of tears she had tried to hold back. She threw her arms around the person who had found her in the hidden corner of the library. She sobbed into the shoulder of the person who had looked hard enough for her.

Once her tears stopped, M'gann pulled gently away and looked up into the kind eyes of Kaldur. Giving a shaky smile, she wiped her face, but Kaldur caught her hand.

"M'gann. Why?" Was all he asked. M'gann followed his gaze to her hand clasped in his own. Her Caucasian hand.

"I-I just," she tried. "I was just," she let out a shaky breath. "I don't feel like," More tears arrived, but these were tears of frustration at her inability to express herself. She looked up at Kaldur with a lost expression. Her friend nodded, and sat down in a chair near hers.

"I do not know exactly what you are feeling. But I can understand," he told her. "My position on this team as leader was put to the test during the training exercise. I died like a common soldier. I failed to properly lead the Team as I should have. I forced you, Conner, Robin, and Wally into positions you should not have had to take part in, and for that I am sorry."

M'gann looked over at her friend. "No one blames you for that, you know," she said quietly.

Kaldur met her gaze calmly. "I feel as if they should."

"But you sacrificed your life for others. That speaks so much about how much you care for others," M'gann said earnestly.

"And you care so much for Artemis, you could not accept that she had died," Kaldur countered. "What you did was because you care for your friend, M'gann. Not one member of the Team or the League blames you, as you should know."

M'gann dropped her eyes to her hands, feeling her eyes beginning to water for what felt like the thousandth time. She tried to say something, but nothing came out.

"M'gann. You are a valued member of this team. No one thinks otherwise," said the friend who took her cold hands into his own. After a long silence, he spoke again. "Do you know what I did as soon as I was given permission to leave the mountain? I went home to Atlantis. Not to see my family and friends, which I did, but I went there for another reason. Seeing that world, that world in all of our heads that this world could eventually become, made me think. That world, it was full of war and violence. There was nothing beautiful in that world. I went home because I wanted to see something beautiful. I went home because I wanted to see some beauty that was made entirely by nature, not something that had been created."

M'gann looked at her friend. There must have been a question in her eyes, because he dropped her hands and picked up a bag near their feet that she hadn't noticed before. "I found it," he said, taking something out of the bag and setting it on her lap. It took a few moments for the Martian to figure out what it was she was seeing, but when she did, a gasp escaped her lips.

Sitting in her lap was a jar around the size of an ear of corn. The jar was filled with clear water and a sea anemone that glowed a soft pink. The anemone waved and swirled in the water, as if a current was brushing through the water. It was intricate, delicate, and timeless, in a way. It was beautiful.

"Kaldur, it's-"

"Yours," the Atlantian said. Surprised, she looked up from the sea plant.

"Mine? Kaldur, I don't know the first thing about caring for plants, much less one from the ocean."

He smiled at her. "You will learn. In Atlantis, we call these sea flowers. Anemones are among the most beautiful, and also the easiest to keep. I want you to have it. I heard you talking to Wally a few days ago about how much you loved flowers from Earth when you were on Mars. I thought that now was a good time to give you another sort of flower."

M'gann felt her eyes well up with water again, but this time it was balanced with a beaming smile. "Oh, thank you Kaldur," she said, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. Kaldur returned the hug, and when she pulled away. He smiled. At her questioning smile, he nodded to the water jar, which was floating a few feet above the ground, suspended by the Martian's telekinesis.

"There is no harm in doing what comes naturally to you," Kaldur said. "It suits you."

"I suppose," M'gann said, moving the jar closer and turning it so she could see it from every angle. "It does make looking at things easier," she added with a smile.

"I was not talking about your powers," Kaldur said. "I was talking about that," he said, pointing at her arm. M'gann looked and let out a gasp in surprise.

"It's green," she said, stating the obvious. She quickly took inventory of the rest of her person. "I'm green. I'm all green," she announced happily. She couldn't contain herself as she levitated herself into the air and laughed. As she came down to the ground, she embraced her friend again. "Thank you, Kaldur. Thank you so much. I know it may not mean much, but I think you're a great leader."

"Thank you, M'gann," the Atlantian said. "It does mean much. More than you will ever know."

**Sorry for the shortness of this one. It's been sitting on me for a while, and it turned out to be only a few pages. Make sure to let me know what you thought. I love the big brother relationship Kaldur has with pretty much everyone on the Team. He doesn't have much drama, and I love that about his character. He was pretty fun to write about.**

**But it was weird. This was going to be a totally Kaldur-centric oneshot, and it turned into a bro/sis M'gann/Kaldur fluff fest. I hope you all don't mind.**

**But I feel like I need some happy feels. One of my close friend's mom passed away today, and I've shed more tears over her than I did for either of my grandfathers.**

**Sorry again for taking forever, and keep laughing!**

**-Alex**


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